


Bacon

by rudbeckia



Series: Random Worlds [37]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-03 01:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12738090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: Follows straight after the previous fic in the series.Armitage wakes up with bad dreams and Ben soothes his nerves with tea and custard creams. Phasma and Mitaka both admit they ship it but Armitage and Ben are still in denial until...Oh bad timing, Brendol.





	Bacon

Armitage woke in the dark with Ben breathing calm beside him, close enough for reassurance but far enough away not to feel awkward. He checked his phone: three o’clock. Slipping out of bed as quietly as he could, Armitage made his way around the bed that almost filled the room and went to the bathroom. Clicking on the light would start the extractor fan so Armitage stood in the dark, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He washed his face in cold water, sighed at his dim reflection and quietly told himself to get a grip. Things that would keep him up worrying at three in the morning would shrink back to insignificance over coffee and toast.

A soft knock brought him out of an imaginary scenario where he kissed Ben and Ben pushed him off and told him to remember it was all just pretend. At least that was kinder than the dream that had woken him up in the first place. Armitage opened the bathroom door.  
“Are you okay?” said Ben, voice barely a whisper.  
“Sorry,” replied Armitage, “Did I wake you? I was trying to be quiet.”  
“It’s fine. Are you okay?” Ben waited after repeating his question but Armitage did not reply. He tried another approach. “Um, do you want a hug?” Armitage stepped forward and leaned his head on Ben’s shoulder for a few seconds while Ben patted his back. “Coming back to bed?” asked Ben.  
“Not yet,” said Armitage with a sigh. “This is ludicrous. They’ll work it out and it’ll be worse than ever.”  
“If you want, in the morning, we can put the rooms back the way they were only now we each have a sofa,” said Ben, taking Armitage’s hand and leading him back to bed. The cute nightlight made the bedroom glow warm amber. “Get into bed. I’ll make tea.”

Armitage settled with his back resting on his pillows against the wall and the covers over his legs. Ben came in a few minutes later with two mugs of tea and a packet of custard creams. He handed Armitage both mugs, dropped the biscuit packet onto his lap, then got into bed too and reclaimed his tea.  
“You’re being really nice about this. Sorry I’m such a fuckup.” Armitage sipped his tea and set the mug down to cool. He opened the biscuits and crunched one whole.  
“Hey, wait ‘til you meet _my_ folks,” said Ben, smiling. “My dad’s always away on some job or other. Most of my memories of him are of waving goodbye. He thinks I should _get a real job_ and scoffs at the idea of questioning how we decide what’s good and what’s evil. My mom’s just super busy.”  
“My father calls me _weak-willed_ and _useless_ because... because that’s what he does.” Armitage picked up his mug again.  
“Can I punch him?” asked Ben, making Armitage snort tea.

Tea drunk and one more custard cream consumed, Armitage and Ben lay down again.  
“We should plan what to say,” suggested Ben. “Like, how we got together.”  
“Ooh, we met on the internet. On a specialist dating site for... for...“  
“Buggr! You invited me home for anal and I stayed?”  
Armitage took a sharp breath in and then giggled. “Ohmygod I can’t believe you said that!”  
Ben laughed too. “Okay,” he said as the nightlight timed out again. “How about: we met as flatmates and liked each other right away. I fell for your ability to fix electrics and you fell for my—“  
“—swashbuckling charm and unconventional good looks. Might work. I mean, the closer to the truth it is, the easier it will be.”  
“Yeah. That sounds plausible.” Ben stared into the dark. “So you think I’m good looking?”  
“Shut up,” replied Armitage. “I need to sleep.”  
A few minutes later, after Ben’s breathing evened out, Armitage murmured, _”thank you,”_ and Ben smiled.

Armitage woke again with sunlight slanting through the blinds. Ben’s head was on his shoulder and he had an arm around Ben’s back. Ben’s arm was a solid weight across his chest. He felt calm. It was not necessary to make any decisions yet, and Ben had explained that whatever decision he made would be okay, until even he believed it.  
“Hey,” he said, jiggling his shoulder until Ben woke up. “Don’t you usually go pump iron early on Saturdays?”  
“Ugh, what time is it?” replied Ben a little groggy from disrupted sleep. “I can skip a session if you need me here.”  
“No,” said Armitage. “I don’t want you to skip training. It’s important to you. Um, thanks for the tea and sympathy. I’ll be okay now.”

Ben was still yawning when he started his routine. Phasma grinned.  
“Up all night being _just flatmates?”_ she asked. Ben made a rude hand gesture.  
“Being a supportive friend. His folks are visiting and they sound awful. He was up at three fretting about it.”  
“And you’re tired because...?”  
“Because I am a considerate flatmate and a good friend,” replied Ben. “I made tea and we went back to bed and talked until he calmed down.”  
“Oh. I see.” Phasma smirked at Ben and Ben reddened and scowled when he realised his slip.  
“It’s not like that. His parents expect him to produce a girlfriend so I’m playing the fake boyfriend role for today. We rearranged the flat to make it look like there’s a living room and a bedroom. It’s no big deal.”  
“I’m sure it’s not,” said Phasma as she started another set of bicep curls. “But does he know how you feel?”  
“What?”  
“Does Armitage know you fancy him?” asked Phasma as Ben finished a set. Ben stared and covered his grin with his hand.  
“Shut the fuck up!”

Meanwhile Armitage texted Mitaka: _Parental visit_  
His phone rang a minute later and Mitaka’s concern radiated from the earpiece.  
_“Hi, you want me to come over?”_  
“No, it’s okay. I have a plan. But thanks.”  
_“Okay. Call me if they get too much and I’ll come over with some emergency.”_  
“Really, it’s okay. I’m pretending that Ben and I are a couple.”  
_“Oh! Um... does Ben know that?”_  
“It was his idea, actually.”  
_“Does he know you fancy him?”_  
“What the fuck!”  
_“Oh come on! You never stop talking about him. You look at him as if he just invented a detector for dark energy.”_  
“It’s not like that!” Armitage almost squealed his denial.  
_“Whatever you say, Hux.”_  
“Fuck you.”  
_“Fuck you too, sweetheart. Call me later?”_  
“Okay. Bye.”

Ben arrived back in time to shower and change then clean the shower before making lunch. Armitage paced the small area of the flat: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen—  
“Hey!” Ben caught him on his third pass up and down the narrow kitchen and held on tight. “We should get into character. I’m going to—“  
The rest of Ben’s sentence was forgotten. Armitage wrapped both arms around Ben’s neck, backed him up against the worktop and kissed him ferociously.  
“Like that?” asked Armitage, barely breaking contact so that Ben could feel the ghost of breath against his lips.  
“Yeah,” said Ben, “like that.” Ben kissed Armitage more gently, closing his eyes and pushing a hand into soft hair. He broke off eventually, stroked Armitage’s cheek and smiled.  
“You know, I—“

The doorbell rang. Armitage and Ben both jumped and quietly cursed. Ben laughed and pushed Armitage away. Armitage answered the door.  
“Oh, hi dad, Maratelle—“  
“I told you, son, call her _mum.”_ Ben thought the voice sounded dull, like someone who never asked questions.  
“No. Come in.” Armitage seemed quieter, like he’d slipped into some other role entirely. Ben looked around the kitchen doorway into the hall where a greying-ginger scowling man and a dark-haired made-up woman shed coats that Armitage took to hang in the cupboard. Ben looked across at Armitage, who nodded once. He broke cover.  
“Hi! Hi, I’m Ben.” He held out his hand to Armitage’s father then his stepmother. “I’m Ben, Armitage’s fiancé. So great to meet you both at last. I’ve heard so much!”  
Maratelle looked Ben up and down. “So my boy has a handsome boyfriend! You kept that a secret from us, Armitage.”  
“Yes well—“  
“Huh!” As Armitage’s father cut off his son’s words and snorted his disdain, Ben was reminded of an elderly Tamworth boar he’d seen at a “living museum” soon after arriving in Britain. Ben stood by Armitage and put his arm around Armitage’s shoulders. He smiled at Armitage’s father’s pink, jowly face and Maratelle’s pointed disappointment, then kissed Armitage on the cheek.  
“You get your folks comfortable, babe. I’ll make lunch. Is everyone okay with bacon?”


End file.
